


Dreaming of the Open Sky

by CucumberandWatercress



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M, Reversebang 2013, kbl reversebang 2013
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-28
Updated: 2013-07-28
Packaged: 2017-12-21 16:41:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/902528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CucumberandWatercress/pseuds/CucumberandWatercress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt had never seen much more than the inside of his research lab and his little workshop. However, when his demands to visit an off-limit island are approved, he finds his world expanded and his limits pushed as he meets a hybrid who shows him the sky isn’t always the limit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Earth

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the KBL Reversebang 2013
> 
> First of all, I wanna thank my lovely artist Playlist for all her help and her encouragements and of course her lovely art! This would not have been possible without her wonderfully inspiring art and her helpful suggestions/explanations. She essentially helped me find the basis of this story, so thank you once again so much.
> 
> Next, I wanna give a huge thank you to my lovely beta Cas. Not only did she help me correct all of the numerous dialogue mistakes I had, (Oh so many mistakes) she helped me with descriptions issues, continuity problems, and just me freaking out. Also, she had to deal with my super horrible time management skills so props to you man. Also, a huge huge HUGE thank you for being a lovely person and a great cheerleader and just an overall wonderful person to talk to.
> 
> Finally, thank you to the KBL mods. You guys have a hard job and did it wonderfully!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> ALSO  
> This is my first time posting something on AO3 so I hope I did this correctly. Okay now please enjoy!

The static buzzed throughout the land; it vibrated through the air, shattering the silence that had stilled over the mountain land as night had fallen. Amongst the peaks, a gust whispered. Morning was coming, and Crazor was to be pulled from its slumber. Its mountains and valleys would once again be illuminated with the blinding light of the lumlow, the brightest star. Cities and villages would spring back into life, with people bustling about to begin their day, willing time to pass until they could at last rest in their bed again. Everywhere across the land, light was beginning to peek into houses, around corners, and through cracks.

Day had begun to rise. Across the lands, the grass began to warm. Trees found their leaves rustling as the morning breezes picked up. Higher up, the towering peaks that set Crazor apart from the other continents of Glaëdros howled with the chaos that came from the thermals. 

The thermals were unique across the great land of Glaëdros, and none of the other continents seemed to have them. Gromir, the ice continent to the south, was a frozen desert. Teams of explorers had set out long ago, but none had ever stayed long enough to claim it for one of the powerful city-states that were scattered across Crazor. It remained neutral, and uninhabited. The third continent, Obrius, was under the control of Orman, the most powerful city-state.

Located in the north, Orman was surrounded by the highest mountain chains and was strategically built on a high plateau in the middle. Throughout the years, the citizens of Orman had learned to use the treacherous terrain and heights to their advantage, developing new means of agriculture as well as amazing technological advances. Multiple times their power had been questioned and challenged, but none would ever beat the Ormans. It seemed only natural that their soldiers conquered the wild lands of Obrius.

As hostilities died down, the city of Orman opened an alliance with the villages found on the neighboring peaks. A trade was established, and roads were built to bring the people closer together. The city started to expand on the plateau, pushing its boundaries to touch the very edge of the flat land. People began abandoning their little villages and settling into the city. Large fields were opened to the south and east of Orman, and the same part of the city was renamed the farming district. North of that, business blossomed for the Ormans in their newest economic sector. Finally, the east was the political hub of Crazor. Politicians and representatives from any city-state with more than 5,000 inhabitants would gather to govern their continent.

Each city-state kept growing from there. More and more people were leaving their calm mountain-side lives to join in with the fervent city life. Expansions were always underway, new housing being built each day. Until one day, no one lived outside of the large city-state walls. No one wanted to be isolated, alone in this world. The mountains slowly fell back into the hands of Mother Nature. Trees began growing on patches of bare land. New bushes and vines littered the ground. Animals returned throughout the country, claiming back their land. Few houses and farms had remained away from the large countries that were slowly expanding before their eyes. They preferred the quiet life. The way it had been before.

Over near Orman, only one house was still standing outside the towering walls limiting the city. It was a little cottage, barely larger than a tool shed. Its red roof stood out brightly amongst the trees, which partially hid it from view. The blinds were hanging loosely from their hinges, and vines had climbed all around the eastern wall, facing the sun. To most passersby, this cottage had been abandoned and nature had spared it, preferring to live around it rather than where it stood.  But a select few knew what happened behind those too small walls.

Energy was bursting from within.

The static buzzed throughout the room. The first rays of light splashed across bright blue pages. The drawings etched into them in silver pen sparkled. The wind picked up again, and books scattered across the drawing table came to life as their pages flipped wildly. The static buzzed again. A figure stirred in its sleep, goggles slipping off ash brown hair and sliding off onto the wooden table with a small _thud_. A groan pierced the static noises and filled the room. It swept over the piles of books littering the floor and escaped from the open window.

The little radio sitting on the windowsill buzzed again, before finally throwing a soft blue glow across a pale face. The light seemed to caress the skin, seeping into it and bringing it to life. There was another slight movement from the figure, turning its face away from the source of brightness. A deep breath sounded, another buzz of static, and then silence.  It felt heavy in the room, the silence, weighing down on the world around it.

“Professor Hummel? Professor Hummel, come in.” The radio roared to life as words flowed out of its circular speaker. The sound was faint at first, barely audible over the vicious crackling of the radio waking itself up. Soon however, the voice rang out throughout the room, filling every crevice and corner it could reach. “Kurt Hummel. Professor Kurt Hummel, come in. You are needed at the main observatory.”

Another groan resonated as the static returned, until finally Kurt lifted his head off of the drawing table and felt blindly around for the receiver of his radio. He pushed the call button and began speaking.

“Present,” he said roughly, blinking until his eyes stopped hurting. “I’ll be down soon. Give me some time.” He shut off the radio and the room finally fell silent.

His thick goggles, used for microscopic purposes, made their way down to the edge of the table, slipping until they fell into his lap. Kurt sighed, rubbing his face before realizing he was still wearing his thick welding gloves. The leather scratched and tugged at his skin. He took a deep breath. It seemed that today would be a long day, and he had better get on the right side of it now before it was too late. He shuffled his left foot only to be greeted with an incredibly uncomfortable prickling sensation. Cursing under his breath, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other a few times before it eventually died down. Gripping the edges of the wooden table, he hoisted himself up off his cushioned chair only to have a large _crack_ echo.

His feet dragged across the patterned carpet spread crookedly across his floor, skillfully dodging the numerous piles of books. He really needed to build those extra shelves. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally made it out of his workshop and towards his bedroom, a small candle flickering faintly before a gust of wind blew it out. Kurt grumbled something about candles before disappearing into his small bathroom.

Reappearing in his doorway with small drops of water rolling down his sharp jawline, Kurt pulled off his flimsy t-shirt and exchanged it for a much warmer olive shirt. Yawning like a newborn pup, Kurt ran his fingers through his hair. He walked towards the door, pulling his cropped jacket off a rack as he stepped out. The cool brass buttons on either side felt incredibly smooth under his gloved fingers. He stood for a moment, absently polishing them with his continuous motion.  A second later, he ran back in to grab a yellow ascot that he tied simply around his neck. While slipping his jacket on, he walked by a large cloth covering some sort of contraption.

“I’ll get to you when I get home,” he sighed happily, patting the metallic object lovingly as he walked away and out the door. “Don’t go anywhere!” He called back, chuckling to himself. He bent down by the door to grab his dark boots, slipping them on with ease. He wore them so much they had practically molded themselves to his feet. Wiggling his toes, Kurt took a deep breath and smiled, pushing the door open and leaving his workshop.

The pale light from the lumlow temporarily blinded Kurt, who had to feel his way around his little house. Finding himself in the shadow of one of his walls, he cracked his eyes open before sighing in relief. It was much easier to move around when his eyes weren’t burning. The only issue remaining where the small dots currently swimming across his vision. Living particles, called shine sprites, inhabited the bright beams of the lumlow and would take any chance to enter an unsuspecting victim’s eyes. They would swim around, looking at you with the silver slits they had resembling eyes before flying away, unsatisfied with their host. Kurt swatted at them, which only angered them. One of the sprites flicked his left eye before sprinting away from his clasping hands. He had absolutely no problem knocking some sense into these creatures. They left his eyes and Kurt blinked slowly, letting the saline from his tears clear any little scratches they might have left behind.

Once he could see clearly, Kurt walked towards a cluster of trees. He absolutely loved the vegetation all around, and always wondered if he could have gone into an environmental study had he not been so passionate about applied science and the many technologies that were associated with it.  Once closer, he extended a hand and ran his fingers slowly down one of the trees. It was the largest one, placed on a mound which seemed to be the center of the cluster. His touch was fueled with delicate awe. Nature truly was the greatest technician of all time, and Kurt felt a little tug in his chest as he thought of all the possibilities of combining nature with technology. He had big plans; dreams he wished to expand and one day realize.

“Good morning,” he chirped happily. The wind picked up, pushing the sweet smell of warm flower blossoms towards his nose. Breathing deeply, Kurt smiled. “It’s nice to see you too. I’m glad you’re doing well,” he whispered, voice laced with heartache.

He walked away from the trees and towards a large circle in the middle of the grassy plain. As he approached it, bright green light burst out, tearing through the ground along the circle. Writing appeared underneath it, and Kurt pressed his foot against the runes that mentioned Orman. The circle shifted from green to a deep orange, verging on the color of rust. Closing his eyes tightly, Kurt took a few steps forward and stilled in the middle of the circle, anticipation burning through his veins. All too soon the prickling sensation ran across his skin, sinking into his body and pulling him off the ground. After a few seconds, the ground connected roughly with his feet. He had made it. Ears ringing, he opened his eyes to find himself in the center of Orman’s market place.

A small child laughed at the disoriented look on Kurt’s face as he struggled to keep his balance. Kurt was a simple man. He liked to wear natural colors to stay connected with the basics of the world, and made most things he needed himself, so they would live up to his usually realistic expectations. He did not like to use things he wasn’t intimately familiar with, like the convanzence. These large teleportation pads had been introduced to the city-states as they had begun to grow so large that walking around was becoming an extremely arduous process. Kurt was grateful for the invention, as the walk down his mountain peak and into Orman would take more than a few hours, but he simply did not know how the things worked, and felt incredibly out of place standing on one of them.

“Morning Kurt. I see you still aren’t used to the convanzence,” a blond boy chuckled, gathering his bag and pushing the strap high onto his shoulder.

“Sam, I don’t think I’ll ever feel okay in those things,” Kurt shrugged before adding, “They make me feel all prickly and itchy and… _eugh_!” He let out a sound of disgust, scrunching up his nose and sticking out his tongue for good measure.

“Well you better get off of it, unless you wanna get crushed like last week,” Sam laughed, turning to walk towards his father’s leather shop.

“Screw you, Sam!” Kurt hollered after him, stepping off of the ochre circle, flinching as his knees wobbled slightly. He found his balance again and looked up, catching a glimpse of blond hair. “Hey Sam, wait up!”

Kurt took off towards Sam as he weaved in and out across the crowded plaza. People would catch his eye and smile, if not a little awkwardly. More than once people would do double takes, whispering to their families, friends, anyone who would listen. Kurt didn’t really mind. No one gave him much trouble, and he could ignore stares and whispers. He never really understood why he was singled out though. He never got why he was important—or at least important without actually _being_ important. He felt a little tightness in his chest, like each breath was just a little bit harder. Shaking his head, he exhaled calmly and picked up his pace, waving towards Sam to get him to stop. His frantic movement caused him to smash into a woman walking in the other direction, pushing her aside a little forcefully.

“Sorry ma’am,” Kurt blurted, reaching over to pick up the fruit he had knocked out of her arms.

“Figures,” she mumbled, grabbing her fruit from his arms and walking away. Kurt stood motionless for a second, unaware of what she could possibly mean. Someone near him coughed loudly, which caused him to snap his head up just in time to see Sam round a corner. He began his race again.

“Sam, stop! I know you can hear me,” he huffed out. Up ahead, he heard Sam chuckle. “Are you _laughing_ at me?”

“What gave me away?” Sam replied, chuckles still rumbling out of his throat like a swarm of bees fighting to escape. “Aw come here Kurt,” Sam reached out and grabbed Kurt to ruffle his hair as he came to a stop next to Sam. “I’ve missed you these past few days. You’re always alone up there, sometimes I worry about you.”

Kurt, who was fighting Sam’s hands away, stopped to look up at him. “I’m not a kid Sam, I-”

“I know Kurt, but just… You never do anything with the town. You only ever come down to talk to whoever is in charge of you, and people talk Kurt,” Sam said solemnly, looking down at Kurt before loosening his grip on him. Kurt stood up and in front of Sam, forcing him to look him in the eye.

“What kind of talk have you heard?” Kurt frowned, feeling his eyes start to prickle.

“Nothing really, Kurt, but you have to understand you aren’t making these things easy. Why don’t you just come live here? I don’t get what you like so much about that stupid little abandoned village you still live in.” The look of shock in Kurt’s eyes drew guilt out of Sam, who began to stammer out an apology.

“I… I’ll see you later Sam. I have to go,” Kurt trailed off. Sam reached out to grab him, but Kurt shook him off, picking up his pace to a fast walk as he disappeared behind a corner. Sam sighed, cursing himself, before turning towards his father’s shop and walking in.

Kurt pressed himself up against the stone wall of the house he found himself behind. His eyes were squeezed shut. He took a breath. The truth was out. He was a freak. Known throughout the city as who lived outside of its walls, someone who had refused to uproot his life in order to “fit in.” At least now the stares made sense. Kurt shuddered at the thought of what people could be saying about him.

He leaned back, letting his head hit the wall behind him harder than expected. A dull pain spread across the back of his skull, slowly throbbing out of existence. Kurt sighed and ran a hand down his face. He pushed off the cold wall, pulling his jacket tighter around his body as he ducked his head and made his way towards the far end of the economic district, nearing the farming one.

From that point on Kurt was on autopilot; he paid no attention to people, evading them skillfully as he weaved in and out of the crowds. He avoided most of the population by taking small alleys and imaginative shortcuts. As soon as Kurt crossed over from the economic sector to the political one, the streets before him emptied. Everyone who worked here would be holed up in an office. One thing Kurt never understood was why people would devote their lives to being trapped inside a building every day for hours on end. Granted, he spent a large majority of his time alone in his workshop, but he was an inventor. He never did the same thing twice. These people only ever went outside to get from their work to their homes, whereas Kurt took his inspiration from nature. The mechanics that went into making a flower blossom or the changing leaves of a tree. Kurt had inspiration and fascination to keep him going. These people, they had a steady paycheck.

Kurt slowed down as he approached the large steel doors of the observatory. He took a moment to simply admire the grandiose building, burning the image into his mind for the thousandth time. He took a few steps forward and laid a hand on the large doorknobs shaped like the lumlow. Kurt felt electricity course through his veins as he slowly removed his hand. He remembered walking here with his father, back before the city was bustling with life.

 

Everything had seemed so incredible to him when he was younger, but nothing fascinated him more than the large dome towering over the city. Kurt would walk past it every weekend, when he came to town to help his father sell the goods from their farm. Back then, none of the convanzence had been installed yet, and the ones developed where still in their testing phases. So every weekend the two of them would set off in the early morning and hike down to the mountain side, visions of the bustling market place keeping them motivated.  Kurt would help his father set up their little stand, sticking around to take care of selling and bagging. But after a while, once people started to go home and customers lessened, Kurt would sneak off and walk towards the Observatory.

One day, while admiring it from afar, he saw one of the professors leaving. This man, Drake Maximarix, was one of the youngest professors the observatory had ever hired, and was simply a genius. His observations and connections between space and living organisms on earth had allowed countless discoveries to be made. Kurt had heard the name before, everyone knew this man’s name, but it was the only real thing he knew about the observatory. He stood there watching the man go, when suddenly Drake was staring back at Kurt. The two shared a look for a little while, and Kurt swore he felt his blood boil that day. He thought he was going to burst with excitement, and was so distracted he didn’t notice professor Maximarix coming closer.

“What you looking at boy?” He asked softly. Kurt jumped with surprise. He stammered, trying to come up with an answer. “Have you discovered anything? Do you mind if I take a look?” Kurt pressed his lips tightly together and stepped aside, nodding slightly. The professor crouched down to his level and watched the tall mountain peaks breaking the barrier of clouds over the observatory.

“You know, it’s a little hard to see from here.” Kurt looked down, afraid of the disappointment in the professor’s voice. “Why don’t we go look at those peaks from the telescope?”

“Really? We can use the telecope?”

The professor chuckled at the mispronunciation, standing up straight and grabbing Kurt by the shoulders.

“Of course we can use the tele _scope_!” He exclaimed, emphasizing the last syllable. “How else are we supposed to find out what it is that you discovered?” Kurt felt a smile tug at his lips, walking towards the large doors he had been observing for so long.

After having watched the clouds movements, as well as larger animals on the mountaintop, Kurt had bid goodbye to the professor and had run back to his father.

Burt was relieved to see his son again. He scolded Kurt for running off for so long, but stopped when he saw tears begin to spill and roll down his cheeks. They began the long journey back home while Kurt explained his day to Burt, revealing his burning admiration for the professor. Burt was stunned to finally see his son passionate about something. Kurt had always been lovely, helping him with his chores and anything else, but he had never felt a passion for anything. Watching Kurt talk about all the complicated machinery in the observatory changed all that. There was a spark going off in Kurt’s mind, and Burt was determined to nurture it.

Burt had gone to talk to Professor Maximarix, and soon they had come up with a trade-off. Burt would provide the observatory with produce from his farm for their experiments, and in exchange the professor would teach Kurt anything he wanted to know. Burt would simply go pick him up once the market had closed, and drop him off the next week in the early hours of the day. As Kurt grew up, he spent more and more time at the observatory, absorbing all the knowledge he could. He grew up alongside Maximarix, spending each free moment trying to discover things he could show the professor. As he accumulated his knowledge, he began to stray away from astronomy and basic biology, moving towards engineering. Maximarix was knowledgeable in many areas, but his teaching of mechanics was pretty limited, meaning Kurt was mostly on his own for anything specific.

As he continued to grow, he began building larger and larger prototypes and machines. He felt like he no longer belonged on the farm, and said goodbye to his father to start his life alone. He moved to a higher part of the mountain, surrounded by nature, which continued to fuel his passion deep down. He built himself a workshop and started his life alone. Soon after, Maximarix offered him a position at the observatory, and Kurt gladly accepted. He began making the journey from his little cabin to the city every day. Maximarix would see Kurt arrive in the morning, utterly exhausted. So, as a gift to Kurt for his hard work and devotion, Maximarix gave Kurt the very first working convanzence. From the very beginning, Kurt was unsure about the mechanics of the machine, but thought his father could truly benefit from it.

With the help of some of the observatory workers, Kurt arranged to have the convanzence installed by his father’s farm. He rushed over as soon as his shift had finished at the observatory, using the newly installed device to teleport to his childhood home. He proudly walked into the farmhouse, calling out his father’s name. He fell silent when his eyes fell on a collapsed form on the floor. He rushed over to it and called out Burt’s name again, hysterical as tears began pouring down his face. Things blurred in his memory from then on, but Kurt remembered one thing clearly: the cause of Burt’s death was completely unknown. Kurt knew nature was behind it, and that he had been betrayed by the one thing he loved most.

And yet, he only had admiration for the gentle beast that seemed to control the world. That night, Kurt moved the convanzence to his house and began his research to combine machine and nature into a perfect mix.

Placing his hand back on the metallic lumlow, Kurt pushed against the gigantic steel doors and walked into the building, memory burying itself back into the far reaches of his brain. It was still early enough for the vast halls to be mostly deserted, but every once in a while a familiar face would smile at him, encouraging the excitement blossoming deep inside. Kurt dedicated all of his time to his work, and being surrounded by people who did the same only encouraged him. After going a flight of stairs and down another large hallway, Kurt finally approached Maximarix’s office. The golden letters always sent a thrill down his back. He had been there when the Observatory had given Maximarix the highest honor, making him head of scientific research. He had lived it with Maximarix, from the moment he had been employed to the moment Maximarix told him of the news. Kurt worked for the head of the observatory, and was head of the natural engineering department. Granted, he was the only one in the department, but he got to meet with the other heads of department.

He knocked briefly on the door before walking in. Maximarix was busy studying papers scattered across his desk. When Kurt closed the door behind him, he looked up, smiled, and nodded toward a map spread out on the wall. Kurt inched closer. It was a map of Glaëdros, with all three continents drawn out with extreme detail. A large red pin was pushed into the map, over the word OBRIUS. Kurt felt his jaw drop. He looked back up at Maximarix, only to find the professor smiling at his pile of papers, trying his best to contain a chuckle.

“I-  I don't understand. Did they…” Kurt was squeaking, voice all high whenever he got too excited. But he couldn’t help it as he looked hopefully towards Maximarix.

“You did it kid. You got your funding, and your permission. You, son, are going to the prison land.” Maximarix finally let himself smile fully, and Kurt began to tear up.

He launched himself at the older man, grabbing onto him tightly. Maximarix laughed then, hugging Kurt back tightly. Kurt pulled back and looked at the professor with wet eyes, smiling brightly.

“Professor Maximarix, I don’t know what to say. I… I’m speechless,” he spoke quickly.

“First of all, stop calling me Professor Maximarix, boy. I watched you grow, Kurt, you can call me Drake. Or at least Maximarix,” he replied happily. “As for you being speechless, that’s a first!” Kurt pretended to swat him away with his left hand, but he quickly brought both arms back to Maximarix’s shoulders to pull him into another hug.

“Now go! Go pack, Kurt. You need to gather your things. We’ve arranged for a ferry between the Northwest port here and the port in Obrius to leave sometime in the early afternoon. I’ll contact you once we have the times. You remember the safety procedures, right?” He asked, smile lessening.

“Yes, yes I do! I’ll be fine. Oh, thank you so much Professor. Thank you!” Kurt shouted as he ran out, looking over his shoulder to see a heartwarming look on the professor’s face. He felt his heart ache a little as he rounded the corner and disappeared towards his labs.

Kurt ran through the halls, face split in half with his large grin. He rushed towards the large glass door with the words _Kurt Hummel, Natural Engineering_ in small gold print near the top. He pulled it open swiftly, flinching as it knocked into the wall adjacent to it. Kurt froze for a second. When no one seemed to react, he slinked inside and closed the door quietly, leaning against it. A giggle broke the silence in the room. Kurt closed his eyes and sighed. He was going to Obrius. He was going on the greatest scientific adventure of his life, and he was leaving today. Kurt straightened himself and walked towards his desk, where a similar map to the one in Maximarix’s room was open, with a large circle around the small continent of Obrius. Underneath it, in deep blue ink, was written the word “someday.” Kurt bit his lip.

That day had arrived.

 He rolled up the map as stuck it between his arm and his chest, grabbing pens as well as forms he needed to fill out before bursting out of his door and walking haphazardly down the hall and back out towards the large entrance doors. He turned right before the end of the hallway and stepped onto the convazence, bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement.

The same familiar feeling and numbness caught him off guard as he found himself near his house, arms aching from carrying his papers through the convazence. A tight grip was required if no papers were to be lost during travel. Kurt had learned that the hard way after his first paycheck has disappeared from between his fingers. Kurt stepped off the disk and took a moment to steady himself. He breathed deeply. Today was a new start, a new life unfolding in front of him. He walked back to his house, gaze settling for a moment on the large tree nearby. He closed his eyes and kept moving, opening them as he neared his door. Pushing against it with his back, he managed to slip his elbow onto the doorknob and push it down enough to push it open. He rarely locked his door, as no one was crazy enough to venture into the wilderness that was master of anything around Orman’s large city walls.

Turning back around, Kurt made his way through his workshop towards his drawing table. He slowly placed his arms against the wood and let go of his grip, watching the papers fall and settle on the ledge at the bottom as a pen rolled off and bounced on the carpet below. He bent down to pick it up, only to come face to face with a skull hidden below his table.

“There you are! I was looking for you," He scooped up the skull and poked at its nasal cavity, smiling as he looked for a place to put it down. Coming up empty, he shrugged and set it back underneath the table, tucked away for potential future use.

Kurt straightened out and flinched as he heard little _cracks_ sounding along his spine. Ignoring them, he raced towards his bedroom and lunged for his closet door. Yanking it open, he stared at the pile of clothes for a moment, heart pounding. He pushed aside his hanging coats and jackets, revealing a small grey backpack. He pulled it out, electricity flowing from his fingers to the material. Staring straight ahead, Kurt held the backpack for a little while. He had packed this bag four years ago, a few months after his father's death. He was certain that the island held the answer to the riddle that was his father’s passing. He had pushed it to the back of his closet about a year later, when it became obvious he would never be granted permission to visit the island. Yet Kurt could feel the fabric on his fingers; feel the weight of his supplies weighing down on him. It was all rather overwhelming.

Kurt moved back, sitting down on the edge of his bed. His head throbbed as realization washed over him. Taking a few moments to steady his tumultuous emotions, Kurt focused on his breathing. Once it leveled out, he stood and set the bag down on his bed, by his pillow. He pulled of his jacket and placed it neatly beside it before walking out of the room. He settled on his large blue chair and began filing out papers.

Kurt began munching on one of the cookies he always kept around his house as he continued to write down any important notes for this voyage he was going to embark on. He had been working for a few hours and needed something to sustain him until lunch on the ferry. His hand stilled as a thought crept into his mind. He turned towards his radio and pushed a large button and soon static filled the room again. Kurt smiled a little at the familiar white noise and turned back to his paperwork. He should be receiving a call about the ferry times soon, and definitely did not want to miss that information.  He flipped his page over and was greeted with a large illustration showing the different safety procedures to obey on Obrius. Kurt skimmed it, feeling familiar enough with them to not get in trouble. Most of them talked about not bringing foreign bodies from Obrius back to Crazor, but more importantly to Orman. A sharp buzzing interrupted his reading.

“Kurt? Come in Kurt. This is Maximarix," the radio chirped, whirring slightly.

“Here professor,” Kurt replied, adjusting a little nob until the sound was clear. “Do you have my ferry time?”

“Yes, I do. The ferry leaves in about 15 minutes at the Northwestern port. Don’t forget your pass as well as all those papers that were on your desk. I wish you good luck Kurt. Now is your time. Use it wisely. I’ll see you when you return,” Maximarix took a pause, and the air felt thick as Kurt waited in anticipation. “I believe in you, Kurt. If anyone can figure it out, it’ll be you.” The radio turned back to static as Kurt sat still.

He switched off the radio, silencing the never-ending static. Writing down the last of his information, he grabbed his papers and shuffled them into a pile. Tucking that under his arm, Kurt walked towards his bedroom. The bag resting on his covers stood out, and brought a small smile to Kurt’s tense face. He tucked the papers away into the large back pocket of his bag. He then grabbed his pens and stuffed them in the front, along with his journal for observations and a camera for documentation. A weight seemed to have settled on his shoulders as Kurt bent down and grabbed his jacket, slipping his arms through the sleeves and then putting on his bag over it. Once in front of his door, Kurt felt his hands shake as he reached for the knob. Gripping it hard, he pulled and stepped out into the sunshine, eyes falling immediately on the large island he could spot from this altitude. Orbius, shrouded by trees, looked like an unfriendly place, and Kurt was finally going to see for himself. He walked towards the convazence, but not before stopping in front of the tree cluster.

The largest tree was casting a shadow that caught on Kurt’s face, obscuring a little less than half. All sound quieted down as Kurt took a step towards it, hiding more of himself in its shadow. The air felt cooler here, fresher and easier to breathe. Kurt remained beneath the large tree for quite some time, until finally he turned back towards the convazence. He seemed reluctant to leave the shadow, which cast a sense of home, of safety on him, but knew he needed to get to the port. The ferry would be leaving soon and he would prefer to be on it when it did. Speeding up to a slow jog, Kurt settled in the middle of the large green circle, toes tapping the port runes before he grabbed onto his bag and held it tightly. His feet began to prickle first, with the sensation spreading through his body like poison through his veins. Face scrunched up in discomfort, Kurt felt the ground disappear beneath him. Bright lights danced before his eyes until his feet were firmly planted on the ground again.

 


	2. Water

A resounding note echoed throughout the busy streets. Kurt shook his head and stepped off of the plate, knees wobbling. Above, seagulls flew about. Their calls echoed and mixed with the noises surrounding Kurt. He started towards the port, weaving through the crowd that seemed to thrive everywhere in Orman. He walked through the arch marking the entrance to the port and felt something shift inside of him.

This was the first time had ever left Orman. He had dreamed of this day for a few years now, but deep inside fear was beginning to claw its way up. As he continued to advance towards the large ship, nausea bubbling up his stomach, and he began to second-guess himself. Disappointment flashed across his mind, pushing unease into his thoughts. 

“You Kurt Hummel?” A gruff voice asked.

“Yeah, that’s me,” Kurt replied, slightly dazed. Kurt handed his papers to who he assumed was the captain of his ferry.

“We’re off in a few minutes,” the captain said. “You sure you know what you are getting yourself into?”

“Let’s find out,” Kurt mumbled, grabbing his papers from the captain’s hands and walking up the gangplank onto the boat.

He greeted the crew and then retired to a table set up in the corner. He sat and crossed his arms, placing his head on them. Outside, the captain barked orders, and soon he felt a small lurch as they set off, motor steadily whirring. Kurt debated whether or not he should begin taking out his equipment, checking and double-checking that he had everything, but decided against it. It was too late to find a mistake, and the journey was too short to get any real work done. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the steady rocking of the boat as they left the safety of Orman and headed for the wilderness.

After about 10 minutes, Kurt began falling into the rhythm of the waves. He found it extremely calming, helping him shake off the last of his nerves. All too soon the boat slowed to a stop, the rocking growing in intensity until they were safely tied to the large rings hanging off the single dock.

Kurt quickly gathered his things, slinging his bag onto his shoulder, and stepped off of the boat and onto the dock. The rest of the crew busied themselves in preparing the ship for the return trip. Kurt walked slowly down towards the island, heart racing. When he reached the island, he felt his throat constrict in anticipation. Holding his breath, he stepped off the wooden platform and touched the dirt below.

“I did it, dad,” he whispered, closing his eyes and laughing to himself.

The sun shining through the dense tree canopy above warmed his skin. Kurt opened his eyes again, mind switching from wonder to work. His first task was to locate the subject of his studies. He searched through his bag and pulled out a more detailed map of Obrius. The center of the island, where the trees were more scattered, was a clearing where he would set up his workstation during his visits to the island. That was where Kurt needed to go. He took a deep breath and began walking deeper into the forest, following the faint path on the forest floor.

The bushes and trees rustled endlessly as he continued to walk. However, Kurt noticed the birds and other animals seemed much quieter here than on the Crazor, and definitely quieter than in the forest surrounding his little home. Kurt pushed the thought aside and concentrated on finding his way until he neared the clearing mentioned on the map. He moved towards the edge of the forest and leaned against a tree in order to put the map away. When he lifted his head, he finally saw the clearing in front of him. A gasp left Kurt’s parted lips as he stared out towards the sunlight grass ahead.

Figures were standing before him in small groups. These were the center for Kurt’s study, the Elymes. Human-like hybrids that were separated into five sub-species based off of their elemental births. The fire-born, with ashen skin and glowing red eyes; the earth-born, with varying shades of brown and green and mossy hair; the air-born, with stark white skin and large wings sprouting from their backs; the water-born, with scales for skin and webbing between their hands and feet; and the metal-born, with shinning, human-like skin and glowing eyes. Kurt took a step forward, eager to begin his studies, and snapped a nearby twig. The resulting cracked pierced the general silence that had settled over the forest.

Many of the hybrids were startled, disappearing into the trees. The rest stared at Kurt with fierce looks. Kurt froze, unaware of how to react. Gradually, the hybrids dropped their gazes and ignored Kurt. Finally, every hybrid apart from a few standing near Kurt forgot about his presence. The group closest to him, however, seemed incredibly interested in him.

Kurt would have easily mistaken them for humans had the sun not been reflecting off their skin. The metal-born stared at Kurt with a growing curiosity, and Kurt felt the same way, inching closer to them as slowly as he could. When he was only a few feet away from them, he extended a hand as a welcoming gesture. He was utterly surprised when one after the other, the hybrids shook his hand. As Kurt was greeting them, he couldn’t help but notice that despite their metal-like skin, it was incredibly smooth, much like human hands. He pulled out his notebook and labeled a fresh page “Metal-Born Elymes” before jotting down his findings so far.

“Who are you?” a sweet voice asked.

“Why are you here?” another added, deeper than the first.

Kurt looked up from his writing to see two hybrids, one male and one female, standing at the front of the group and staring at him. He made a note that this group of Elymes seemed to have a basic grasp of English, and could communicate with humans. The couple gestured towards him, beckoning him to walk closer, to stand with the group. Clutching his journal, Kurt took a tentative step before the female Elymes grabbed his arm and pulled him down. They all sat around him, waiting for him to answer the questions he had been asked. Kurt cleared his throat nervously before answering.

“My name is Kurt Hummel, and I work for the Observatory in Orman. I am here to learn more about your kind, and possibly create a bond between humans and Elymes.”

“I doubt that will happen,” a third voice stated.

It belonged to an older hybrid, whose skin was changing from pale peach to a rustier color, as if the metallic skin had been worn out over time. Judging by the reverent looks this hybrid was getting, Kurt assumed he was a leader, or at least very respected. When he noticed Kurt’s questioning look, he stared right back at him.

"You don't believe me?" The elder asked, staring straight into Kurt's eyes. "Your kind are the reason we are here, why would we ever want to work together?"

"Mauris, what should we do?" A little Elyme asked, grabbing onto the elder's hand.

"You are free to do whatever you like, but you won't see me talking to this monster anymore." Silence fell as Mauris slowly rose and walked away, disappearing between the trees.

The Elymes around Kurt began shuffling nervously, children hiding in their mothers' arms. They looked around to each other, exchanging worried looks before slowly, one by one, they began getting up and walking away. Some looked utterly terrified, which left Kurt baffled. He was supposed to build friendships with this race, and yet was unable to even hold a conversation with them. Soon he found himself completely alone in the clearing, and the rest of the Elymes had quickly followed when they saw the metal-born react so negatively to Kurt. Kurt was still sitting on the forest floor, unable to move. He looked up towards the sky and noted that it was about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The ferry was not set to leave the island until at least 7 in the evening.

Kurt dropped his head to his knees, clutching them tightly.  This had been his chance to prove himself and yet he had failed. Kurt began racking his brain for a solution. There had to be something he could do to make sure this trip had not been for nothing. He had to bring something of value back to the observatory if he was going to be given permission to return. He sighed heavily, trying to stop the pounding in his head. His frustration was hindering him more than anything. He needed to calm down if he was going to think of something. Kurt took a few deep breaths and steadied himself. Once he had done that, the idea appeared in his mind:

He would observe them.

They would not talk to him, but he could still get close enough to watch them for some time, gain knowledge on them, even if only from an outsider's point of view. Kurt pushed himself off the ground and stood fully, bag high on his shoulder and head clear. Unaware of what direction the Elymes had gone in, he decided to walk straight ahead, towards the opposite side of the clearing. The forest was all around, and he was bound to find at least one hybrid to study.

The Lumlow was sinking lower as evening drew nearer, stretching the shadows around Kurt. It was then that he noticed a human shadow that seemed to be coming from his right and decided to head that way. There would be at least one hybrid, the one whose shadow he was watching, and he needed to start writing down some observations. A large tree was on the outskirts of the clearing, near the shadow. Kurt walked over to the tree and leaned to the right to peek from behind the trunk. Frustration grew inside him as he stared back at an endless landscape of trees. 

A rustling rang in Kurt's ears. He snapped his head towards the noise, eyes squinting in an effort to see better in the darkness amongst the trees. A smile slowly spread to Kurt's lips. Crouching along the forest floor, following a squirrel, was a young metal-born, no older than Kurt was. He was facing away from Kurt, too engrossed in the little creature before him. The squirrel remained motionless, until it sprang up and ran towards Kurt, causing him to tense up behind his tree. The crouched boy turned to follow the squirrel, allowing Kurt to see his face.

His metallic skin was slightly darker than Kurt's own pale skin, looking almost tan. The chestnut in his eyes melted seamlessly with his skin, softening the area around his eyes. Dark, tightly-packed brown curls framed his angular face. Kurt was speechless. This Elyme looked so… _human_ to Kurt. The other boy was still staring at his squirrel; tongue poking out in concentration as he slowly approached the squirrel, forcing it to move backwards. Kurt was confused by this behaviour, but was pulled away from his thoughts when he heard a gear begin to click away.

Kurt turned to face the tree in front of him, closer to the Elyme and his squirrel, just in time to see small gears and cogs turning along the tree’s trunk. Soon, a net fell from the higher branches and trapped the little rodent. The boy was beaming as he approached his prisoner and began to chuckle, which quickly turned into a little cough as he lifted the net and set an angered squirrel free.

Kurt couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped his lips as he shifted his weight against the tree to rest more comfortably. He moved his foot to the left, away from the trunk, and felt it snag on some sort of rope. Before he could react, the same gear-clicking noise began again and suddenly a net surrounded Kurt. It was loosely draped on his head and barely reached past his forearms. Despite this, Kurt still struggled to remove it, getting it caught in his jacket’s buttons.

Kurt felt a hand on his shoulder, immobilizing him. He bit his lip to stop himself from shrieking in terror. The two of them stayed silent for some time, Kurt too afraid to move and the hybrid not sure of what to do next. Finally, Kurt decided this would be his chance to get some concrete data. Closing his eyes, he slowly turned around to face the Elyme. When Kurt reopened his eyes, he was staring straight into the other boy’s.

He thought he saw a small smile spread across the other boy’s lips as happiness flashed through his dark eyes for a second. The Elyme slowly removed his hand from Kurt’s shoulder, taking the net with him. Kurt, who was now free from the trap, hesitated for a second before turning around and calmly walking away. He was not ready for this. He was too young and inexperienced and couldn’t handle these creatures and-

“I didn’t mean to catch you,” a voice tentatively said.

Kurt turned to face the hybrid again, who this time refused to look Kurt in the eyes. He looked incredibly vulnerable all of a sudden. His arms were drawn up close to his body and his head was looking down towards the ground. He was shuffling one of his feet. Kurt found it endearing, almost adorable.

“The traps are for little forest animals. I wouldn’t hurt a human. Or an animal for that matter!” He added quickly, cheeks turning slightly pink as he finally looked up to lock eyes with Kurt again. “I’m Blaine. Welcome to Obrius.”

“H-Hi Blaine,” Kurt stammered, voice still a little shaky from the net incident. He held out his hand and waited for Blaine to grab it. When their hands met, Kurt felt sparks burning against his fingertips.

“Sorry!” Blaine exclaimed, pulling his hand back. “As a metal-born, I tend to spark a little with static electricity.” He smiled sheepishly, bringing his hand behind his head to rub at the back of his neck.

“So what are you doing here?” Blaine smiled genuinely, and Kurt noticed the skin around his eyes seemed to wrinkle. Their skin had elastic properties like humans; he had to remember to write that down.

“Can we sit? This is sort of a long story and it’s been a hard day.” Kurt sat on the floor, leaning his back against a nearby tree. He looked up expectantly at Blaine, until finally the other boy joined him.

Kurt began recounting his story, starting with his job at the observatory and his need to study the hybrids. He decided to go more in detail, as the story actually seemed to interest Blaine. Kurt also told Blaine about how the other Elymes had reacted to him and his hope of creating a bond between the two species. Blaine kept asking questions, pushing Kurt to open up, to tell him more. Kurt let himself go, giving Blaine any answers he was looking for, from his relationship with Maximarix to his little house in the mountains near Orman. Kurt felt like he had been talking for hours, and yet Blaine kept asking more questions, begging to know more.

Kurt was in the middle of a sentence when he felt a hand on his cheek. He froze as he watched Blaine looking at him intensely. Blaine lifted his thumb and brushed a tear off of Kurt’s cheek. Kurt hadn’t realized he had begun crying, but now it hit him hard and he couldn’t stop. Sobs shook his body as he continued to cry, tears streaming down onto Blaine’s hand. Blaine continued to slowly rub the tears away. Kurt started to calm down, and his breathing slowed back to normal. Blaine finally removed his hand from Kurt’s cheeks, pulling his knees close to his body and hugging them tightly.

“I’m sorry Blaine, it’s just, like I said-“

“Hard day.” They sat in silence for a little while longer, Blaine growing increasingly uncomfortable as the minutes dragged on.

“Yeah. It’s just… I was supposed to build all these connections between humans and Elymes, and now I can’t even _talk_ to you. If I don’t bring any information back they won’t let me come back to the island. I won’t be able to ever learn from you and maybe everyone was right. I’m no good at this. I should move to the city and stop inventing things, useless things that obviously lead nowhere.” Kurt voice was slowly filling with rage, mostly against himself.

“I can tell you things,” Blaine remarked. Kurt looked up hesitantly. “I mean, I can’t tell you about all the Elymes, but I am a metal-born.” Kurt shook his head.

“Why would you help me? The others don’t seem too fond of working with humans, so why do you?” Kurt asked, head still pounding from the earlier tears.

“I don’t care much for humans either,” Blaine said, causing Kurt to look away. “But I do care for you, and I would hate to see you cry again. Plus I’d love a visitor. I get lonely on this island.” Blaine added more quietly, voice softening as his embarrassment grew.

“What would you like to know?”

Kurt removed his bag from his shoulder and set it down between Blaine and him, grabbing a pen and opening it to a new page titled “Blaine.” He quickly wrote down his observations about Blaine, and how incredibly _human_ he looked compared to some of the other Elymes. He took a deep breath and readied his pen on the page.

“Anything. Or, everything actually. But start with anything.”

                  Kurt rushed out of the house gripping his bag tightly. He was still pulling on his jacket as he stepped onto the convazence and stepped on the port rune. He stumbled onto the ring and found himself falling as he appeared in the city. He picked himself up and shook himself off, too excited to be affected by any of this. He opened his bag quickly and after checking that everything inside was okay, he closed it and made his way towards the port. He ran past the captain and onto the gangplank, sitting in the same spot as yesterday as he waited for the boat to leave.

                  As soon as it had lifted anchor, Kurt felt his excitement grow. When the captain called the order to tie up the boat in Obrius, Kurt burst off of the deck and rushed off the boat and into the forest. The crew all looked at him as he disappeared in between the trees, questioning looks on their faces.

Kurt struggled to pull his journal out of his bag while running, but somehow managed to get it free. Opening it to the right page while looking ahead to avoid running into trees proved to be another challenge, but he had somehow managed it. He read the little paragraph for what seemed to be the twelfth time, smiling like he did each time as he got to the end.

_Meet me at the clearing tomorrow. I can tell you more about the Elymes, and maybe show you a little more of Obrius, since you are here to explore it! - - - Blaine_

                  Kurt felt silly smiling over this message, but it warmed his heart to read it. Kurt began to recognise the trees as he approached the clearing, and he started to slow down. He didn’t want to startle any potential hybrids in the area. The last thing he needed was more negative comments from them, or worse, aggressive behaviour. He walked until the edge of the trees and stuck his head out to look into the clearing, surprised to find only Blaine sitting in the middle hunched over something. The rest of the space was completely empty. Blaine coughed once before falling silent again, hunching over even more. Kurt approached him slowly and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Don’t look!” Blaine shouted, covering whatever he had been hunching over with his arms. Kurt laughed as he sat down near Blaine, pulling his bag off and setting it down in front of them.

“What are you doing?” Kurt asked, trying to see past Blaine. Blaine simply grabbed whatever he was hiding and pushed it behind his back.

“You’ll see, it’s not ready yet.”

“Alright, whatever you say. You ready for more story time?” Kurt asked as he pulled out his journal and pen. Blaine nodded and scooted closer to Kurt, shielding his view. “I wanna know what that is, though. Don’t think you can hide that forever.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll see soon.” Blaine replied, and then he began explaining more about the life and customs of the Elymes.

Blaine paused in his dialogue after he had started to discuss crafting techniques. Kurt frowned before putting his journal down.

“Why did you stop there?”

“Because now it’s surprise time!” Blaine beamed as he reached behind himself and grabbed the object. He brought it before him and revealed it.

“A box? I don’t mean to sound rude Blaine, but why were you hiding a box from me?” Kurt asked, curiosity burning inside.

“Well, rather than telling you about our crafting techniques, I thought I could show you!” Blaine chimed, scooting closer and putting the box right in front of him.

He began telling Kurt about the endless possibilities Elymes had when it came down to their element. Metal-born Elymes had many skills to be born with. Some could find precious metals in the earth simply by walking over them. Others were able to attract opposite polar molecules, much like a magnet. Some could even take one metal and turn it into another. Blaine listed all the possibilities, giving examples for each and doing his best to illustrate them whenever Kurt seemed to get confused.

“So what’s yours then Blaine?”

“Well, you remember the squirrel trap yesterday?”

“The one that attacked me? Yes, it rings a bell,” Kurt answered sarcastically, earning him a small smack from Blaine.

“Well, the gears and cogs for that are very special because… well, let me show you.” Blaine grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground before them and closed his hands around it. A few seconds later, when he opened his fists, a small brown gear stood where the mud had once been.

“What? But… How?” Kurt was utterly baffled. “You mean the…”

“Yeah, they were made directly from the tree bark yesterday. That’s my power, I guess. I can make objects out of other materials. But,” Blaine closed his fist and crushed the gear, returning it to dirt that fell to the floor. “It doesn’t change from dirt to anything else. Only it’s shape changes. Which means I have to be careful with what materials I use.”

Kurt sat in awe. He gently brushed his hands against the little pile of dirt that had once been a gear, mind spinning. He had never seen anything so purely amazing. Blaine sat back and watched Kurt. He loved seeing Kurt so dazed, trying to wrap his mind around everything that was happening. An idea popped into Blaine’s mind and he began to smirk. He leaned forward, getting closer to Kurt.

“Wanna see my workshop?” When Kurt nodded, he sprang up and grabbed Kurt’s wrist with one hand and his bag and journal with the other. “Follow me, I know a shortcut.”

                  The rest of the week was more of the same. Kurt tried to spend as much time as possible on the island, bonding with Blaine and gathering information about the Elymes. They no longer met up in the clearing, as it was usually crowded, but would find each other at Blaine’s workshop, deep inside the forest by the large cliffs near the northern part of the island. It was a small little shack that must have been abandoned for quite some time before Blaine set up his things. Now the walls were lined with different sized gears and pulleys for reference, and the shelves were packed high with hand drawn blueprints for the various things Blaine had always wanted to build. The furthest wall of shelves, opposite the entrance, held all the machines Blaine had built, with their blueprints tucked underneath.

                  Kurt loved spending time with Blaine in his workshop. As they talked, Blaine would tinker away to pass the time, as well as using it as examples for Kurt to bring back to the observatory. They had been pleased with Kurt’s notes, though a little disappointed that he only had information this precise about the metal-born. Maximarix had defended Kurt valiantly; telling them his department was natural engineering, so his focus on the engineering Elymes made sense.

                  As Kurt began to spend more and more time with Blaine, he began to make little objects with the materials Blaine would leave lying around. Kurt began to suspect Blaine was setting them up and leaving them for Kurt. Everyday, new parts would be left lying on the workbench for Kurt to use. The thought of Blaine preparing things for Kurt’s visit sent a little tingle down his spine, but Kurt pushed the feeling away. He needed to finish his report on the Hyrbids and send his paper into the Observatory.

                  “It’s kind of a big deal Blaine. It could get published in our science magazine and distributed to all the universities around Crazor, even maybe Glaëdros as a whole. I’ve never done anything so important in my life, and I have you to thank!” Kurt beamed, gently elbowing Blaine who was standing beside him at his workbench. Blaine remained silent. “Are you not happy for me?”

                  “No Kurt, I mean _yes_ I’m really happy for you, but that also means I’m not happy for me.” Kurt shot him a confused look, dropping the motor he had been working on and taking a small step away from Blaine. “I mean… Once you publish your paper, of course that will be great, and I would love for you to come over and celebrate, but that’s exactly the problem. This is a prison Kurt. You aren’t able to come without permission from the Observatory, and do you really think they have a purpose for you being here if you have submitted your paper?” Blaine looked away as he finished his sentence.

                  “I… I hadn’t thought about that,” Kurt whispered.

                  “Well I have. It’s all I’ve been thinking about since you told me they wanted you to write a paper. I’m already so lonely Kurt. I don’t want to be alone.” Blaine’s voice wavered. It was obvious he was now holding back tears.

                  “But you aren’t going to be alone. I’ll plead to the Observatory and get my trip extended. I’ll figure something out Blaine.” Kurt took a step forward, placing his hands on Blaine shoulders before wrapping them around him. Blaine turned around in Kurt’s arms and hugged his waist tightly.

                  “I just don’t want you to _go_ ,” Blaine cried, hiding his face against the yellow ascot wrapped around Kurt’s neck.  Silence fell as they stood together, holding each other tightly.

                  “Blaine?” Blaine pulled himself away from Kurt but kept his hands firmly wrapped around him. “Why are you so alone? I mean, I’m so isolated from everyone, but I still have one or two close friends. Do you never interact with any of the other hybrids?”

Blaine opened his mouth to answer and was caught by a coughing fit. His lungs burned as he struggled to remain upright. He doubled over and clutched his stomach, trying to relax. Kurt rushed to where he was kneeling on the floor, rubbing a hand soothingly against Blaine’s back. Blaine’s eyes were watering by the time he finished couching, and his throat was scratched pretty hard. He cleared his throat a few times, some causing another cough to escape, before sitting against one of his walls and patting the spot next to him.

“That is why I’m always alone.” When Kurt didn’t react, Blaine began to get angry. “I’m _sick,_ Kurt. No one wants to be near me because I’m so incredibly sick. And it’s been getting worse. I’ve been trying to hide it from you but I can’t control it.” Tears began slipping down Blaine’s cheeks, and immediately Kurt raised a hand and brushed them away. Blaine smiled at the familiarity of the gesture. “I didn’t tell you because I was afraid of scaring you away. It’s a hybrid-only disease, so I knew you wouldn’t contract it, and so I kept my mouth shut. But it seemed to have other plans.” Blaine chuckled a little, trying to remove the tension in the room, but Kurt dropped his hand and sat back against the wall, completely shocked.

“Are you- Are you going to die Blaine?” Kurt asked quietly, voice unchanged.

“I don’t know, it’s never been this bad, so maybe-“

“Are you going to die?” Kurt asked again, pausing after each word. “I don’t want you to die. I can’t handle another death.” Kurt surprised himself when he realised he was not crying over this.

“Another?”

Kurt took a deep breath. He turned to face Blaine and closed his eyes. He began talking, telling Blaine about his dad, about the disease he got and his sudden death leaving Kurt alone. He remained stone faced the whole time, recounting facts rather than reliving them. Blaine pulled him into a hug when Kurt told him about showing up at his father’s farm and finding him on the floor, but Kurt didn’t move. So Blaine let him go, feeling awkward. He hugged his knees again. Another cough resonated through the small room. Then Blaine cleared his throat.

“Sometimes I hate being a metal-born,” He said, even though he knew Kurt wasn’t really listening right now. “I stay up at night and wonder why I was born like this. I see all the water-born and their underwater palaces, or the earth-born and their clay sculptures and think, ‘What can I make to ever rival that?’ Then you came over, and you decided to study me, to study the metal-born. And I thought, ‘Maybe I can hold my ground against them, I can make things to rival their creations.’ Like this…” Blaine reached behind him and pulled out a rose with a thickened stem laced with tiny gears. “I made it for you the first day you came back. It was hiding in the box. I was going to give it to you then, but when I heard you talking, it didn’t seem good enough, it seemed too easy for a brilliant mind like yours.”

Blaine handed it to Kurt and pushed one of the thorns down, which triggered the lowest gear. Slowly, the gears began turning all the way up the rose, until finally the top one slowly opened the rosebud, spreading the petals out evenly and presenting Kurt with a beautiful flower in bloom. Kurt didn’t know what to say, clutching the rose to his chest as he looked back towards Blaine.

“The only hybrids I could never rival are the air-born. Their wings give them such an advantage. What I wouldn’t give to fly through the skies. If I ever had one dying wish, it would be that; to finally see Glaëdros from the sky, or at the very least Obrius. I’ve tried building machines to help me glide, to lighten my weight, but nothing has worked so far, and I’m running out of time and options.”

“Don’t say that,” Kurt finally spoke up.

He turned to face Blaine, cupped his face, and leaned his forehead against Blaine’s.

“There is always a way, and you are not running out of time.” A loud note echoed, shaking the trees around them. “I- I have to go Blaine, I have my paper hearing tonight. But no matter what, know I will come back tomorrow. Even if I have to swim here. I will come back to you, and I will have a solution.” Kurt lifted his head and pressed a short kiss to Blaine’s forehead, letting go of him and gathering his things.

He ran out of the workshop and hurried back to the boat, climbing on board and remaining utterly silent. As soon as they neared the Orman port, he stood by the railings and ran out once the anchor had been dropped. Rushing to the convazence, he inputted the observatory and stepped on, heart pounding. The light danced in front of his eyes and when he opened them again, he was sitting in the hallway near the entrance. Kurt stepped off the glowing circle and sprinted down the hall. Knocking on Maximarix’s door, he opened it and found his edited paper placed on his desk, with a note on top saying _good luck; even though I know you won’t need it_.

Kurt took a deep breath and walked back out of the office, the packet of papers clutched tightly against his chest. He walked towards the main lecture hall and touched his hand to the handle. His mind flashed back to his very first day here, when he and Maximarix had first gone up to look through the telescope. He had come very far from that day. Today was a test, to see if he really deserved this. He had to prove to everyone that he did.

He had to do it, for Blaine.


	3. Air

Maximarix hugged Kurt goodbye tightly, their tears mixing. He hadn’t been able to say anything while Kurt had been giving his speech, asking for permission to remove Blaine from the island of Obrius and get treated by a doctor, and now it was too late. Not only had the council refused, they had decided to discredit Kurt of the facts in his paper, saying that he was influenced by a rogue Elyme. Kurt had protested long and hard, but it was all for nothing. Here he stood, saying goodbye to Maximarix and the place that had been his home for so long, holding back tears as best he could.

 

“Kurt, I know it’s unfair, and I’ll try to do everything I can, but you have to leave the Observatory for now. If they catch a discredited professor here, they could do a lot more damage than just firing you. Until you are reinstated, you can’t come here anymore.” Maximarix was trying his best to comfort Kurt, but the boy simply continued to cry.

 

“You are so young and already have so much pain. Go see the captain whenever you want to return to Obrius. He is a friend of mine and will turn a blind eye if needed. But he will only bring you there and back. No one else,” Maximarix said, a slight harshness to his voice. “Now go, leave. They will bring your things to your house soon. Try not to get into any trouble, Kurt. You’ll be fine.” They hugged again, and then Kurt pulled away and turned around.

 

He walked towards the nearest convanzence and made his way home. He walked in and closed the door, leaning against it. His mind was swimming, a mix of sadness and fury battling to get the best of him. He sunk towards the ground, kicking his legs out in front of him. He knocked over one of his numerous book piles, cursing under his breath and he crawled over to pick up the fallen candle that had previously been perched on top. He went to place it on his drawing table and noticed a small metallic box, half gray and half beige.

 

Happiness exploded through Kurt as he held on to the little box, which was barely bigger than any of the books littering his floor. Kurt let out a yawn and looked out his window. The sky was pitch black, few stars visible through the trees surrounding his house. The few bursts of light amongst the dark did, however, make Kurt smile. If the stars could continue to shine even though they were surrounded by darkness, maybe he could to. It might take some time, but his shine would return one day. He decided the best thing to do was end this day and sleep. It was much too late to do anything.

 

Kurt pushed the box out of his way and placed it down on his chair before getting up. As he walked towards his little bedroom, he bumped into a large cloth draped over something by the door. A glass vial rolled out from underneath the cloth with a bright blue liquid in it. The liquid radiated a slight light that splashed upon Kurt’s body and illuminated the shock on his face.

 

Kurt rushed about the room, turning on all his candles and placing them around his workbench. He then grabbed the cloth-covered item and dropped it down gently beside him. He removed the wrapping and pulled out numerous other vials, as well as a little logbook and a small framed picture. He set all the vials down and put the logbook in front of them, but held on to the picture. It was small enough to easily fit in the palm of his hand. Looking down at it, he saw his father’s smiling face. A little Kurt was standing beside him, no more than the age of eight, with a gear held tightly in one hand as he held on to his father’s hand with the other. Both their faces appeared shaken by laughs.

 

The memories came pouring back into Kurt’s mind, stinging him like poison. He could feel them moving closer to the surface, becoming more real. Suddenly, he could feel his father’s strong hands in his, feel the tightening grip as they laughed in front of the camera. Their self-timer never worked properly, and always captured pictures at the wrong time. Kurt was grateful though, that he had a memory of them together, laughing without a care for whatever reason. It helped ease the pains he had recently felt, but also brought back new ones. Staring at the picture for a second longer, Kurt smiled. These new pains might lead to something better in the end.

 

Kurt put the picture down and grabbed a vial. This held one of his many ingredients he had gathered in order to find a cure to whatever had taken his father. He had worked at it for years; using his knowledge of nature to find the perfect mix and his technological skills to build newer machines to test results, to mix ingredients just right, to crush and extract and help him beat this monstrosity.

 

Kurt had spent weeks with his nose buried deep in various botanical guides, learning as much as he could about plants and the different properties they held. A whole new world had opened up to him. Nature was not just a destructive force, like the people of Orman liked to believe. She was a healer, a giver of life, and quite possibly his only hope. He had began to gather plants everywhere he could. The nearby forest became a chemist, ready to supply him with all the materials he could ever need.

 

Meanwhile, at the Observatory, Kurt began to find other uses for nature. Working as Maximarix’s assistant at the time, he suggested all sorts of nature-based projects for potential research. It was Kurt who had come up with the idea of seeing how plants reacted to gases other than carbon dioxide, and he eventually helped discover a new type of flower that thrived on acid found deep inside the ground. He had found it during one of his trips to the forest to gather more supplies. He had also discovered potential healing properties to this acid, but kept that to himself. He still had an antidote to produce and didn’t want any prying eyes to distract him.

 

He had given up on it when he had been promoted to the natural engineering department at the Observatory after his discovery, no longer able to work on such a personal project. He had bigger, more useful things to do. His main focus was to find ways to use nature in order to facilitate human lives, and he had always taken this responsibility quite seriously. Well, not anymore. Not after he had just been fired from the Observatory for befriending a hostile race. He could finally perfect this cure, save others of the fate his father had faced. Yet deep inside, he knew this wasn’t the sole reason for his sudden passion.

 

He thought, selfishly perhaps, that this _might_ cure Blaine as well. It might be strong enough to eradicate whatever was slowly killing him, hybrid blood or not.

 

Kurt started working, ready to finish this cure and test it out on Blaine. It would be too risky to transport onto the island, but with the help of the little box he had found earlier, he should be able to get Blaine off the island. Kurt was unaware of how to assemble all the ingredients now that he had them all together, but there was no time to hesitate. He closed his eyes and thought about Blaine. He felt his heart begin to beat faster as warmth spread through his chest. He would have to trust his first instinct, not only for his sake, but for Blaine’s.

 

He got up off of the bench and gathered all his necessary equipment, pulling on his thick welding gloves up to his elbows and strapping his magnifying glasses to his head. The large goggles had a thick glass lens over each eye, with the possibility to add more lenses by pushing down a small lever on the side, thus magnifying the image. It had been one of the first things Kurt had built, and had been what had pushed him to inventing more and more complex items. Now, years later, he was using what had originally be intended to magnify the bugs he saw in the grass for something that could potentially save lives. With that in mind, Kurt began his work.

 

As he worked steadily into the night, he kept thinking back to Blaine; alone on his island, unable to leave it because of someone like him. He felt his stomach turn at the thought of humans banishing the Elymes. His original anger towards the negative reception he had received quickly turned to guilt. These creatures were being pushed away, marked as hostile, as savage simply because they were not human enough. It made Kurt feel sick, a fowl taste building up at the back of his mouth. Kurt continued to work, using that as a fuel to push him.

 

His eyes were growing heavier as time went by. The lumlow was beginning to shine it’s light across Crazor, illuminating the eastern side of the mountains as it rose slowly. Kurt dropped a pinch of powdered oak root into a beaker and stood back. He finally found himself with a bright blue liquid that should be the antidote to the killer in his life. With determination burning inside him, Kurt tucked the beaker away under his drawing board and went to grab the box on his seat. He removed everything from his bag and pushed the box in, struggling to close the top.

 

Once it was safely inside, Kurt stepped outside and walked over to the cluster of trees near his house. He stood by the tallest one and sank to his knees, holding his hand out to place it on the bark.

 

“Dad. I think I did it. I can’t save you, though you know I’ve tried, but maybe others won’t have to die. Maybe Blaine won’t have to die,” Kurt spoke reverently to the tree, hoping wherever his father was now he was listening to him. “I think you would have liked him. He has such passion for nature, even if he is a metal-born. Animals really amaze him, which is why I think you two would have gotten along well. He loves chasing squirrels the most. But I hope you like him no matter what, because right now he is all I have left. And who knows for how long.” Kurt paused. “Figures. I finally find a friend, someone I can trust, and they get taken away from me.”

 

He rocked backwards and sat, pulling his legs towards him and loosely hugging his knees. Kurt always relied on dry humor and pushing people away to deal with his problems. This was mostly the reason he didn’t have friends, or close ones at least. His mind flashed to Sam, who was sweet but not what Kurt needed. He had always had his dad to confide in. He had never felt the need to reach out to others. When his only confidant disappeared too son from his life, the need for another never came up. Kurt began bottling up his emotions, his everyday thoughts. Until Blaine came along. Now Kurt finally had someone to talk to, about the little things in his life, the ones no one else would ever know. A bittersweet taste ran down his throat. This was his only problem with opening up; it gave people a chance to hurt you, purposefully or not.

 

Pushing that thought away, he got up and headed over to the convanzence. He stepped on and seconds later felt himself appear by the port. He hoped it would be the last time he had to travel here. Kurt walked over to the captain, who he was surprised to see so early in the morning. The lumlow was casting a hauntingly beautiful reflection against the water as it slowly rose in the sky. A large orb of light waved with the oncoming waves, disturbed only by passing boats. Even then, it never stayed deformed for long, as the water always regrouped. It seemed fitting to Kurt that the lumlow not only rule the sky, but the waters as well. It was just another reminder that nature was all around and truly was the basis of everything.

 

When the captain saw Kurt approaching, he called for his men to get ready.

 

“I’m sorry about what happened kid. We’ll leave right away and return when you want, but I must warn you. I’d recommend hiding once you get on board, especially on the way back. Wouldn’t want anyone seeing you returning from Obrius, huh?” Kurt smiled sadly at the captain and walked over to the table. He sat down, and much like on his first trip to the island, closed his eyes and focused on the rocking of the boat.

 

When the boat arrived in Obrius ten minutes later, Kurt was a little reluctant to step off. This was quite possibly his last day on this island, and he wasn’t sure he waned to take that first step. Fear clawed its way up his throat when Kurt began questioning himself. His mind immediately went to Blaine, and he knew he had to do this. Any delays would just lessen his chances. He waved goodbye to the captain, who wished him luck, and set off to find Blaine.

 

The forest that had once seemed so inviting now seemed macabre and dark. The trees offered him no comfort as he walked around them, trying to find Blaine’s workshop. He felt disoriented, like he hadn’t spent over two weeks navigating this forest, walking across these paths. Each noise sent a chill down Kurt’s spine, his fear rising again. He began thinking this was a sign. The forest was warning him that it was too late, he might as well give up.

 

The towering trees seemed to be leaning down, threatening Kurt with their dense foliage and sharp branches. What little light usually shown through, despite the canopy of leaves overhead, was nowhere to be found. Kurt was walking around in slight darkness, unable to find his way around without more light. Even the forest floor seemed harsher. Kurt was tripping over roots, struggling to stay upright as the added weight of his bag pulled him down. He found himself breathing faster, short little gasps of air escaping his body. Everywhere he turned he was greeted with sinister sights, endless trees and no way of knowing where exactly he was going.

 

            Kurt almost began considering turning back, giving up before he failed. His father had always said that there was no use in trying to fix things that were unfixable. Kurt finally began to understand why. Fighting a winning battle was certainly uplifting, while fighting a losing one was crushing.

 

            However, fighting a predetermined battle was unbearable. Two sides of Kurt began fighting, and he feared it was already predetermined. His sense of childish hope was so weakened after so many misfortunes that he had faced, having taken an extremely harsh blow when his father had died. On the other hand, his flight mentality was kicking in. Kurt was one who ran from his problems, who ran from the uncertain things in life, who ran from the unknown.

 

            Kurt stopped walking and leaned against a tree, mind buzzing with two different solutions. Not only was he fighting himself, he was fighting his biggest enemy and greatest friend. Nature had made a decision, choosing to endanger Blaine’s life and possibly end it. Who was Kurt to rise above nature and try to change that? He had no reason to do so, no motivation other than his own personal feelings. Yet, as Kurt had learned, it takes one person to change the way things are. He might not be able to win this battle, as nature so often snatched victory from it’s opponents, but he was done running. He would fight this battle, predetermined or not, and would try until his own dying breath to stop Blaine’s.

 

            A new feeling filled Kurt, like ice was surrounding his body. He was numb to anything happening around him, relying solely on what he felt deep down. With a newfound sense of determination, he pushed himself off the tree and set off once again to find Blaine. The forest was slowly becoming brighter as the lumlow rose higher in the sky, but it offered little help to Kurt. Despite his newfound courage, he was still desperately lost, and hopelessness was beginning to bite at his ankles. He feared that he would simply never find Blaine, once again letting Mother Nature win. Each new tree he passed chipped away at his resolve. Each turn he made seemed to plunge him further and further down this endless maze of trees. He was so deep inside in fact, that silence reigned over the whole forest. The shuffling of his feet over leaves was the only thing keeping him from going mad in this stillness.

 

A low cough rang out into his ears. Kurt ignored it, thinking it was simply his mind playing tricks on him as his despair grew once more. He was just about to sink to the ground, hope shattering, when a second cough was heard. Kurt raised his head to follow the sound and suddenly, with energy he was unaware he possessed, he ran. All doubt left behind as he sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him. Everything around his was a blur, but he wasn’t focusing on his surroundings anymore. His only thought was to reach the cough, reach Blaine. He desperately needed to heal him, to at least try. He longed to be with Blaine again, even if this would be their last time. Blaine seemed to change everything for Kurt, his hope growing as his fears diminished.

 

            Kurt ran between two trees and caught a glimpse of the thatched roof that topped off Blaine’s workshop. He was at the door in a matter of seconds, barreling through it to finally be with Blaine. He was ready to tell him the good news to try and lift his spirits, and instead found something that broke his heart.

 

In the middle of the small room, curled up in a ball, was a sobbing Blaine who clutched a small rose tightly in his fist.

 

            “Blaine!” Kurt screamed in agony, rushing beside him and sinking to his knees. “Blaine what’s wrong, does it hurt?”

 

            “You- you’re back,” Blaine stammered out, having a hard time talking between the sobs and coughs. “You forgot this,” he spoke brokenly, taking long pauses between words. “I was afraid you were never going to get it back.” He handed Kurt the rose, pushing it towards him.

 

            “That’s so sweet Blaine. You are so sweet. And I need to pay you back for that.” Kurt began pulling out the box from his bag and handed it to Blaine, who was trying to sit up.

 

            “What is it?” Blaine asked, obviously in pain as he winced before sitting fully upright. Once he was sitting, another fit of coughing appeared. Kurt looked at Blaine with such compassion. It pained him to see Blaine like this.

 

            “It makes dreams come true. Try it.” Blaine looked up at Kurt in wonder, grabbing the small box and pushing on the pulsating light center with shaking hands. Kurt smiled as best he could through his pained faced, hoping Blaine’s ability to calm down would help him.

 

            As soon as he did, the box began whirring. It split in three parts on each side. These parts rose out of the box and grew, assembling themselves into three pairs of wings all tied together, going from smallest on top to largest at the bottom. It continued to whir as the wings slotted into place, stretching further and further as metallic feathers seemed to sprout out the end. Intricate designs were sprouting out of the metal itself and decorated the whole set. Finally, two straps popped out of the front, in between the two large three-pieced wings. A third one appeared at the bottom and looped from one side of the front to the other.

 

            “You mean… Can I… Can I fly?” Blaine asked in disbelief.

 

            “Let’s see!” Kurt exclaimed while grabbing Blaine and helping him rise to his feet. Together they walked outside and Kurt helped Blaine get the wings on. He slid the straps onto his shoulders, buckled the one around his waist, and then stepped back to admire him. He ran forwards quickly and gave Blaine a tight squeeze as well as he could with the massive wings on his back before stepping back again.

 

            “You look great. Do you feel okay?” Blaine nodded, smiling brightly. He tried his hardest to hold back a cough in order to keep Kurt from worrying. “Alright, here’s how it works. The pack has nerve sensors touching your back, around your spinal cord. They pick up on nerve changes in the nerve receptors that happen when your brain sends a message to somewhere in your body. You’ll need to send a message to the nerves that will be picked up by the pack. It’ll be like thinking about moving a muscle, but instead you will be moving the wings. Why don’t you try to just do that for now? Can you move them?”

 

            Blaine looked hesitant at first, but closed his eyes and scrunched his face up in concentration. He focused on his back and tried his hardest to do what Kurt had instructed.

 

            “You did it Blaine! You did it!” Kurt shouted, an ecstatic look on his face greeting Blaine when he opened his eyes again. “Now try flapping them multiple times.” Blaine closed his eyes again and went back into the headspace, ready to try to sustain the movement.

 

            “Is it working?” Blaine asked, too afraid to open his eyes.

 

            “Why don’t you see for yourself?” Kurt smirked as Blaine opened his eyes, only to find himself hovering a few inches over Kurt, and suddenly a laugh burst from his throat.

 

            Blaine was delighted and wanted to see how much he could do. He leaned forward and managed to move, so he began experimenting with direction as well. Soon he was flying around Kurt, laughing brightly. He decided to slow down his wings in order to lower himself and try to land. It was a little harsher than he had planned due to a fit of coughing and he lost his footing, but luckily Kurt was there to catch him.

 

            “Don’t worry, I got you. Now, I need you to listen to me carefully. I am getting you off this island. I shouldn’t be here right now and I definitely should not be helping you escape but I need you to come back home with me, at least for a little while.”

 

            “What? But… why?” Blaine asked, worried.

 

            “Do you trust me Blaine?”

 

            “Of course. With my life.”

 

            “Then trust me and fly away. I’m going to take the boat back and I need you to fly away and hide in the mountains by the port. Those are the ones that I live in. You should be able to see my house from the sky, facing the city of Orman. Now go Blaine. Fly away and wait for me.” Kurt looked down, not ready to say goodbye.

 

            “Hey, Kurt. Look at me. This isn’t goodbye okay?”

 

            “Good. I never want to say goodbye to you,” Kurt said, gripping Blaine tight. He pulled away and pushed Blaine’s shoulders. “Now fly Blaine! I’ll see you by my house as soon as I can.”

 

            Kurt watched as Blaine took off, mechanical wings flapping stunningly behind him. Blaine soared perfectly, climbing higher and higher with each strong beat of his wings. Once Blaine was too high up for Kurt to see, he began running back to the boat, eager to get off the island and go find Blaine. The forest seemed full of light again as he walked through it, heart lighter than it had been in the past few days. He found his way back much faster than before, legs walking without too much thought from his part. His mind was completely focused on getting Blaine safely off this prison and saving his life. Kurt approached the boat only to hear numerous muffled voices. Once he got on board, he asked the captain for an explanation.

 

            “We saw a large bird circling one of the mountains near the port. It was a magnificent beast, large wings and everything. But for some reason it suddenly began falling. It put up a fight against whatever had happened cause it hovered for some time but eventually just crashed to the ground. We haven’t seen anything since.”

 

            “Where did you say it landed?” Kurt asked, face neutral but mind racing.

 

            “Somewhere along the northern mountain range. It was circling this one when it went down.” The captain pointed to a mountain Kurt knew all too well. His fears were becoming a reality as he slowly understood what had really happened.

 

Blaine had crashed.

 

He had been looking for Kurt’s home and had crashed. Kurt was worried, thinking of all the possible explanations for Blaine’s sudden loss of control. Had he flown too high? Did one of his couching fits get the best of him? His heart sped up in his chest as he pictured Blaine falling towards the ground. The very thought of it made him shudder. He was so engrossed in his own thoughts he didn’t notice the captain trying to get his attention.

 

            “Kid!” He yelled, waving his hand in front of Kurt’s face until he looked at him. “You wanna leave the island now? You said goodbye to your buddies?” Kurt merely nodded. “Alright, go hide. Don’t want to get in trouble just yet.”

 

            Kurt walked over to what had quickly become his table and decided the safest hiding spot would be under it. Getting down on his hands and knees, he crawled under and waited, his thoughts rocked by the sea as the boat glided towards Orman. The captain announced that the guards would not be near the ship when they arrived, which meant Kurt had to get off as quickly as possible as soon as he could. For all he knew, they would be back right away.

 

            After what seemed like ages to Kurt, the captain gave him the all clear and Kurt rushed out from under the table. He ran all the way to the convanzence, breathing heavily as a mix of fear and adrenaline coursed through his veins. When Kurt reappeared by his house, he began anxiously looking around. His eyes caught the lumlow and Kurt winced in pain.

 

Right away, the shine sprites where flying through his vision. Kurt could do nothing but wait for them to leave; he couldn’t afford to anger them by swatting them away. He used this time to formulate a plan, try to understand what had happened and how to fix it. The last shine sprite was stubborn and refused to move out from his left eye, but it was good enough for Kurt.

 

            He began his search with a shine sprite in his vision and no idea of where Blaine had landed. Kurt walked around the mountainside, soaking in his environment in case there were any clues as to where Blaine might have landed. The patches of trees gave him so indication whatsoever that a crash had happened there since they were all intact. Kurt sighed as hopelessness returned to him. He was beginning to become quite familiar with the feeling. He wished there was something more he could do, some way to make this easier, to find Blaine faster. Mother Nature had the advantage once again. He walked down one side of the mountain, wincing as his knees took repeated hits from the steep slopes he was on.

 

            Kurt began worrying about how far he would have to go in order to find Blaine. He had no center point to base himself off of. There was no search radius he could follow. He had a whole mountain to examine and was running out of time. He had barely made it more than 500 yards and already felt dizzy. The lumlow was now higher in the sky, about half way to its highest position. It made the grass lining the mountain glow a lovely light orange, overtaking the bright green it naturally sported. Any other day and Kurt would have marveled at this beauty of nature. Yet seeing this now made white hot rage burn inside of him. Nature was taunting him, distracting him as he struggled to find a solution to his problem. Kurt kicked the grass below in frustration and turned back towards the top of the mountain, beginning the climb back up.

 

            Any pain he had felt on the way down doubled as he came the other way. He was almost immediately out of breath, struggling to breathe both from the effort and the growing altitude. He lost his footing and dropped to the ground, collapsing from the effort. He sat on the floor, fist pounding against the ground. Nature, who he had always had such an admiration for, was turning on him. He knew she was cruel, knew she liked to play tricks, but he had never experienced it first hand. He struggled to get to his feet, pushing off the ground and finally standing up without sliding back down the mountainside. He was no linger sure of how to proceed. There was too much ground to cover, too many places to look for Blaine in, and definitely not enough time. He continued climbing, hoping something would come to him along the way.

 

            He felt like he was pacing back and forth, growing more and more frustrated as time passed. Blaine could have moved and gotten to Orman by now. Which is why Kurt suddenly ran over to his house. There was a chance that Blaine had seen it before he crashed and decided to continue on foot. That would mean he was not too injured, there was still hope he was okay.

 

            Kurt came up the backside of his house, rushing around to the front door and tearing it open. He was so glad he had forgotten to lock it in his haste that morning, even if he had been robbed. That meant Blaine could have come in. Kurt pulled the door fully and stepped into the room with his heart lighter.

 

            “Blaine! Thank god you-” Kurt voice dropped. His breathing stopped.

 

            Blaine was nowhere to be found. His house was exactly the same as it had been this morning. His things from the observatory hadn’t even been delivered yet. Kurt’s heart sank as his throat closed up. He stumbled back outside and fell to the ground. The mountain was endless. Blaine could be anywhere, and with the amount of time he had already spent looking for him and coming up empty, Kurt was beginning to doubt his chances. He got up nonetheless. No matter the odds he would continue looking for Blaine. He had called Blaine his friend, now was the time to prove it.

 

            His knees where shaking, threatening to buckle under his weight as Kurt rose up. He began walking in the direction he was facing, determined to cover every inch of this mountain. A sound caught him by surprise. A muffled coughing fit, lasting about one minute, followed by a pained groan. Before Kurt had even realized it, he was running towards the source of the noise. He ran past his house, rushing towards the cluster of trees where he spoke to his father. He gasped at the sight that awaited him there.

 

            Collapsed on the floor and curled into a ball lay a shaking Blaine, his wings a few inches behind him. Smoke was rising from one side, probably from the force of the crash. Kurt fell to his knees near Blaine’s trembling body, hands reaching out yet afraid to touch.

 

            “Blaine I- what happened?” The worry in Kurt’s voice was tangible, thick in his throat as he tried to swallow past it.

 

            Blaine didn’t answer, so Kurt got closer. He put one hand on Blaine’s hip and rested the other on his back, soothing the area that had been housing the nerve sensors. Blaine seemed to calm down a little at the touch, his shaking becoming less pronounced. Kurt tried to peer over Blaine, to look at his face. He found Blaine lifting his arm to shuffle around in his pants pocket. It pained him greatly judging by the expression on his face, but he continued until he pulled something out. Blaine clutched the small rose tightly in his hand, still intact despite having been shoved into a pocket.

 

            “You forgot this again. I was going to bring it to you before it was too late.” Kurt began crying now, grabbing the rose from Blaine’s extended hand and holding it to his heart.

 

            “It’s not too late Blaine. Don’t say that.” Kurt was sobbing now, splashing tears onto Blaine below him.

 

            “Shh Kurt. Don’t cry. You make me sad when you cry. Smile for me Kurt. That makes me happy. Smile and I’ll smile with you.” Blaine’s voice was so quiet, so weak. Kurt tried to smile, wanting nothing more than to make Blaine happy. “Thank you, Kurt. Thank you.” Blaine closed his eyes after that and said nothing more.

 

Kurt howled as he tried to wake Blaine up. He struggled to pick Blaine up, but finally managed to hoist the smaller boy into his arms and rushed him inside the house, door slamming behind them.

 


	4. Fire

 

Blaine awoke with a stinging sensation in his arm. His head was pounding and his chest felt tight. Breathing in stung sharply, but at least he could breath. He wiggled his toes and found them to be numb, pins and needles racing up his legs as he grimaced in discomfort. He tried to sit up and felt a tugging sensation on his forearm. Looking towards it, he saw a tube of bright blue liquid pumping into him, shooting the color into his veins.

 

Blaine felt incredibly disoriented. He had no memory of how he ended up here, a transfusion in his arm filling him with an unknown liquid. He pulled it out and flinched at the sudden pull on his skin. The hole remained wide open as another layer of metal began to materialize over it. Over time, the upper layer would melt into the lower one, closing the skin once again.

 

He was now sitting up fully in a bed, not sure of where he was or how he had gotten here. Blaine tried to look around the room to find some sort of clue as to what had happened. The walls were plastered with blueprints apart from a few shelves and the space by the closet. A jacket was hanging on the closet’s door handle, and for some reason it seemed familiar to Blaine, but he couldn’t place it. He continued scanning the room, until a diploma caught his eye.

 

_This hereby promotes professor KURT E. HUMMEL to the position of department head for the department of Natural Engineering._

Blaine felt like his memory had just been restored. The flight, the coughing fit, the crash, it was all so clear in his mind. Blaine shuddered as he remembered curling up on the grass so close to Kurt’s house. He had been disappointed in himself, not because of the crash, but because he would never be able to give Kurt the rose. Yet Kurt had appeared a few moments later, coming up behind him and holding Blaine, calming him down. Blaine could still feel Kurt’s hands resting on his hips and back, rubbing it soothingly as he hoped everything would be okay.

 

Then, Blaine’s memory became a little fuzzy, he remembered reaching for the rose and handing it to Kurt, but the next few memories were riddled with blanks. He remembered seeing Kurt’s face incredibly close to his, worry carved into his delicate features. Then, a candle lit workshop where a frantic Kurt ran around, grabbing vials and needles and a watch. Blaine looked down to his arm and noticed the watch bound tightly around his forearm to allow for the transfusion. He carefully slid it down and around his wrist, feeling closer to Kurt.

 

Kurt, who was not in the room. Blaine began to wonder where he could be. Had he left Blaine here alone? Had he gotten in trouble for saving him from the island? Blaine felt guilt growing inside him. What if Kurt was in trouble and it was all his fault? Blaine swung his legs over the bed and felt safer when they landed on the floor of the room. Grabbing onto the edges of the bed, he hoisted himself up and tried to steady himself until the room and his head stopped spinning. Once he felt stable enough to walk, he began to head for the door that was barely visible in the corner of the room, amongst the blue prints.

 

He walked past a mirror and realized that he was not wearing the clothes he had traveled in. His pants had a belt looped around them, as well as dark brown suspenders hanging loosely. His top had been removed and replaced with a crisp white button down. On top of that was an olive green vest, and finally a blue gray cropped jacket was resting over it all. Blaine was not used to so many layers, but he appreciated them nonetheless. The pale purple bowtie tied neatly around his neck was his personal favorite of all his new clothes, and he made a note to thank Kurt. He then blushed as he imagined Kurt removing his torn shirt to put these on him. He began walking towards the door again, after straightening his bowtie.

 

Once he had crossed that door, he found himself facing of the front door. Would Kurt be outside, on the other side of this door? Blaine had no way of knowing, but it seemed like Kurt definitely was not inside the small work space he had behind him. Taking a deep breath, Blaine closed his hands against the doorknob and pushed, opening the door and stepping outside.

 

Night had fallen on Crazor and the surroundings where incredibly intimidating in the dark. A few stray shine sprites zipped past Blaine, leaving lovely trails of light in the dark that soon faded. Blaine noticed one of these bright spots did not fade though. He walked towards it, noticing how it grew larger as he got closer. He approached the cluster of trees where he had crashed, and his mind immediately replayed the scene over and over again. Blaine couldn’t help the little whine that escaped his mouth as he tried to push the memory away.

 

“Blaine? Is that you?” A voice Blaine knew to be Kurt’s asked. “Oh Blaine. Oh thank goodness.” The relief in Kurt’s voice filled Blaine with courage, and he banished the images from his mind. He turned his attention to the silhouette within the bright light coming from a candle placed on the ground. Kurt had been kneeling, but was now fully standing. He took a step forward before stopping himself, looking at Blaine with a pained look. Blaine understood and walked towards Kurt before wrapping him up in his arms.

 

Kurt melted into the embrace, his head resting on Blaine’s shoulder as they pulled each other impossibly closer. Kurt felt his knees quiver and slowly sank to the ground, pulling Blaine down with him. The two boys sat interlocked for some time, silence conveying all the emotions they had trouble expressing. Finally, Blaine pulled away, shuffling his feet until he sat cross-legged by Kurt, one hand gripping Kurt’s firmly.

 

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Kurt asked, tears already forming in his eyes that he hurriedly wiped away. Blaine shook his head.

 

“No. Not right now. But I would love to know what you are doing here, under the wondrous glow of the candlelight in the dead of the night.”

 

Kurt chuckled, but remained quiet for some time, staring towards the largest tree in the cluster. Blaine gave him his space, trying to pull his hand away, but Kurt simply held on tighter. He turned to face Blaine and took a deep breath.

 

“I come here to talk to my dad.” Kurt paused, expecting laughs, but when he looked up at Blaine, he saw nothing but an encouraging smile and a lovely glow in his eyes. “When he died, I dug up a sapling from his farm and brought it here. It was the one he and I had planted together when we first moved into the larger farmhouse. I used to cry over it on days when I missed him more than usual. I spent countless hours sitting near this spot and just bawling, wishing there was something I could do to be with my father again. Slowly, I stopped crying over it, stopped showing so much sadness. One day, I decided no one would know my pains other than me, including this sapling. So that day, I went out and watered it, and for the first time in my life I went straight back home. No tears, no sadness, not even a little hello. The newt morning, I awoke to find a cluster of towering trees where my little sapling used to be.”

 

“Call me crazy, but I took it as a sign. My father was up there, listening to me, watching me cry, and now congratulating me for stopping my tears. He was never one to show his emotions. I guess I made him proud. So, instead of coming to cry when I felt particularly lonely, I came here to speak with him. I shared stories about my day, about friends and colleagues and anything to take my mind off of him, all while talking to him. You can see the logic in my mind.” Blaine chuckled, causing Kurt to smile.

 

“Tonight, I was just telling him about how I thought I had done it. I had found a cure to what had killed him, and what was killing you. I don’t know what I would have done if you had left me as well.” Kurt’s voice cracked, and his smiled wavered. Blaine squeezed his hand and rubbed his knuckles with his thumb.

 

“Kurt, if you don’t mind me asking, how do you know your dad had the same disease I did? I’ve always been told it was only for hybrids.”

 

“I know it’s the same. I can’t explain it Blaine I just… I feel it, inside. He had the same symptoms, and something about seeing you sick brought back all these memories.”

 

“Alright Kurt, I want to try something. I want you to hold these blades of grass tightly in your fist.” Blaine handed Kurt some grass he had just plucked from the ground, dropping them in Kurt’s hand. Kurt hesitated and shot Blaine a strange look but closed his hand around the grass nonetheless. “Now tell me Kurt, why do you enjoy building things so much?”

 

“I- I guess it’s because it’s the only thing that feels right in my life. It’s the only thing that I always understand, that I don’t have to think about,” Kurt answered, unsure of what Blaine was doing.

 

“So you feel a connection to metal and it’s different uses, like pulleys and gears?” Blaine asked, eyeing Kurt’s closed hand.

 

“Well yes, I do but… Blaine what are you doing?” Kurt asked, annoyance peeking out behind his words.

 

“Open your hand Kurt.” Kurt slowly uncurled his fingers to reveal a tiny gear and pulley made from the blades of grass he had previously been holding. Kurt gasped out in surprise, dropping the two little objects onto the ground in front of him.

 

“Did your dad build things as well?” Blaine asked, looking Kurt deep in the eyes.

 

“Yes, he’s the one who first showed me how fun building things could be, but what does any of that have to do with what just happened?” Kurt was so confused; he needed an answer.

 

“Kurt, I believe your father was a metal-born, or at least definitely a hybrid. That is how he contracted my disease. As for you, his son, the tiny pulley made of grass sitting in front of you tells me you definitely have metal-born blood in you. I am guessing your mother was a human, which could explain why it took you so long to find these powers.” Kurt’s mouth dropped in shock. He was unsure of how to respond. Instead he grabbed the little pulley and gear and began playing with them until finally the blades of grass snapped and they turned back into grass before his eyes. He stared at the little pile of grass for a while, worrying Blaine.

 

“Do you want to talk about what just happened?” Blaine teased, trying to shatter the unease Kurt must be feeling.

 

“Not right now,” was all Kurt answered.

 

“Then can I say something?” Kurt nodded for Blaine to continue speaking. “You know how my dying wish was to fly? Well you fulfilled that. How exactly, I still do not know.”

 

“Professor Maximarix had given me those wings the day I got promoted to department head. They were just a prototype back then, but I worked on them for some time until I thought they would be ready for use should I ever need them.” Kurt supplied the answer without being asked.

 

“Well, be sure to thank the professor for me, but that is not what I was asking. Since you fulfilled my wish, I need a new one, now don’t I?” Kurt nodded once again. “I think I’ve chosen my new wish, and I think you can help me fulfill it again.” Kurt turned to face Blaine and tilted his head, requesting an explanation. “I want a friend, but I also want more than that, much more. The simplest way of getting that is this: My new wish is to kiss you.” Blaine whispered, leaning slightly closer to Kurt.

 

Kurt felt a blush burn against his skin as it rose to the surface, dotting his pale skin with deep rose circles on each cheek. Blaine looked into Kurt’s eyes and saw shock turn into a much softer expression. Kurt began learning forward, brushing their lips together in the slightest before reaching up and cupping Blaine’s neck. Their lips crashed together and Kurt felt sparks shoot trough his body.

 

“Sorry, static electricity. The downside to having metallic skin.” Kurt laughed as he pulled Blaine closer again, pressing their lips together for a fleeting moment before moving to press a kiss to Blaine’s forehead.

 

“So all your wishes have been fulfilled then?” Blaine looked back at Kurt with a beaming grin, nodding slowly as he intertwined their fingers. Kurt looked down at their joined hands. “I guess this isn’t weird if I do have so Elyme blood in me.” Kurt joked, but the thought still bothered him. He would have to ask professor Maximarix for his opinion, as well as seeing if there was any way of telling for sure.

 

“The lumlow is already beginning to rise,” Blaine remarked, staring between two mountain peaks.

 

“Let’s go inside and get these wings fixed then,” Kurt replied as he stood up. He let go of Blaine’s hand and grabbed the still smoking wings. He carried them inside, followed closely by Blaine.

 

Kurt patted a small stool, motioning for Blaine to sit in it. Blaine sat in the plump purple seat as Kurt pulled his deep blue chair away from his drawing board and behind Blaine. He then turned on his welding tool and went to pick up his long welding gloves.

 

“Ill be right back Blaine, I’m going to go grab some more antidote and hook you up again. You only had it for 2 hours, and while there is no doubt you are healthier, I want to make sure it’s gone for good.” Blaine nodded as Kurt left the room to retrieve the IV bag he had used to administer the antidote to Blaine when he had first fainted after the crash.

 

When Kurt returned, he found a flustered Blaine sitting awkwardly on his seat. He kept looking around, avoiding eye contact with Kurt at all cost. Kurt began to grow suspicious, looking around as he made his way back to his chair. After checking it to make sure it was prank free, he grabbed the wings and positioned them on Blaine’s back the way they should be before strapping them onto his shoulders. Blaine chuckled loudly.

 

“Does that tickle?” Blaine didn’t answer; he simply stared at the blackboard directly behind Kurt. Kurt let his curiosity get the best of him and turned around as well, heart melting when he saw what Blaine had done.

 

On the previously blank blackboard, there was now an elaborate and incredibly realistic drawing of a pair of wings. Kurt was amazed at how well Blaine had drawn them, especially without a model. The metallic wings he possessed where far from the real thing, and his detail work was uncanny. However, it was something a little below that drawing that really caught Kurt’s eye. In an extremely crude looking heart with a little arrow going through it were the words _Blaine + Kurt_. Kurt turned back only to find Blaine, biting his lip as he looked to see Kurt’s reaction. Kurt leaned forward and pecked Blaine’s nose and lips.

 

“Now stop giggling and moving and sit still. I have a lot of repairs to do and an IV to poke you with.” Kurt rose from his seat and grabbed the watch around Blaine’s wrist, pushing it back up to where it previously was. “I don’t have anything to clean it with, but this is a new sterile needle. You should be fine.”

 

“Kurt, don’t worry. I would trust you with my life. I _do_ trust you with my life.” Blaine reached over and grabbed Kurt’s hand to squeeze as Kurt stabbed the needle into his arm and straight into his vein. He attached that to the IV bag and suddenly the bright blue antidote was pouring into his veins. Kurt stepped back and gasped. “What? What’s wrong?” Blaine asked, worried.

 

“You’re glowing Blaine. The antidote is so bright it is showing through your skin.” Blaine didn’t know what to think. Kurt grabbed a coil of flat wire and showed him his distorted reflection. Blaine stared back at it in surprise. A web of blue lines crossed his skin and slowly spread as the antidote made it’s way through his veins.

 

“It’s a lovely afterglow, it happens when two people like each other,” Blaine said, earning him a smack from Kurt who went to sit behind him once more.

 

“Alright, now try to sit still. I need to weld these parts back together. Then we can talk about… everything that’s happened recently.” Kurt began his work, pulling on his magnifying glasses and starting with the highest wing.

 

The gentle noise of the burning flame from the welding tool was the only sound they heard for a while, both of them enjoying the silence and the occasional noises of their element. Blaine leaned back towards Kurt, feeling at home for the first time in his whole life. He finally had someone to look out for him. His heart fluttered lightly as he turned as far as he could without disturbing Kurt in his work. Kurt looked up and smiled at Blaine, who smiled back. Their gaze was full of compassion, but it also held a promise to always be there for each other, to always trust each other. Blaine blushed as he thought about what that meant for them before turning back around to let Kurt get back to work.

 

Every now and then, Blaine would start a conversation, but Kurt always returned to working in silence after a while. One particular comment caught him by surprise though.

 

“Hey Kurt?” Kurt hummed, not fully listening as he welded two pieces of wing back together. “I don’t mean to interrupt you or anything but…”

 

“But what Blaine?” Kurt asked, never taking his eyes off the wing.

 

“Do you still have my rose?” Kurt chuckled loudly


	5. Epilogue: Metal

“Kurt! Kurt wake up! We are gonna be late and I am not letting you be late today!” Blaine yelled, running back into the bedroom from the little bathroom next door. He plopped down on the bed and poked at the lump in the covers.

            “Blaine not now," Kurt snapped, turning over and burying himself deeper into the billowy fabric 

            “Suit yourself,” Blaine smirked and grabbed a hold of their cotton throw pillow. He rubbed his hands furiously against it for a few minutes before setting it down. He approached Kurt’s foot, which was sticking out of the bottom of the covers, and touched it with his fingertip. A loud _pop_ resonated across the room as a surprised Kurt sprang out of bed.

            “Blaine you did not just shock me on purpose!” Kurt screamed, hair flopping down onto his face before he angrily blew it back up. It stayed up for a second before gravity took a hold of it and dropped it back where it had been. “You are so lucky my hair didn’t frizz like it did last time,” Kurt mumbled, pushing the covers away and swinging his legs off the side of the bed.

            “Yeah, yeah, but you’ll thank me once you see what time it is. 

            “8:53? But I have to be down at the Observatory by 9:30!” Kurt leapt out of bed and ran for the bathroom, grabbing the clothes he had laid out the day before and slamming the door shut.

            Blaine chuckled as he walked into the kitchen and poured Kurt a cup of coffee that he would definitely need once he got out of the bathroom. He set it down on the table along with an orange he plucked out of their wooden fruit bowl resting on the cabinet by the sink and a rose in a vase. Blaine looked down at it fondly, remembering how hard it had been to get it to Kurt. He then took a look around their kitchen, admiring the large windows above the sink he had insisted on putting in. The light from the lumlow that entered through there reflected off the pale orange walls and seemed to set the whole kitchen ablaze. Someone cleared their throat, causing Blaine to look up and find a pristine Kurt walking through the kitchen door, hair back to it’s usual state, white shirt and blue vest outlining his slim hips, with a bright yellow ascot hanging from his hand.

            “Do you never get tired of wearing that thing, Kurt?” Blaine asked with a smile on his face as he pulled out Kurt’s chair.

            “Hey, it’s my good luck charm. A week after I bought it, you came into my life. Maybe it’s what’s keeping you here with me, you never know.” Kurt smiled, sipping his coffee and peeling his orange.

            “Kurt, nothing could tear me away from you. Not even a deadly disease.” Blaine put his hands on Kurt’s shoulders and bent down to press a kiss to his cheek, then to his temple, and finally to the top of his soft puffy hair. 

            “Thank you by the way, for waking me up.” Kurt said as he bit into his orange. Humming away, Blaine walked out of the kitchen and towards the entrance hall. He leaned against the wall and stared at Kurt, who shot him a weird look, as if telling him to stop staring. Blaine could almost _hear_ Kurt rolling his eyes. He gathered his and Kurt’s jackets from the coat hanger sitting in the corner near the door and waited for Kurt to come join him. He handed Kurt his jacket when he emerged from the kitchen and walked out the door after him, locking it. He turned around to find Kurt standing by the cluster of trees, admiring their house.

            “Whatcha looking at?” Blaine asked, walking over to join Kurt and take his hand. He brought it up to his mouth and kissed it.

            “It just seems so weird. I mean, after having lived in a tiny little cottage for most of my life, it’s just weird to see it bigger.”

            “Aww come on Kurt. Enlarging the bedroom and adding a living room is not exactly what I would call ground-breaking changes. And don’t tell me you don’t enjoy the larger workshop you know have.” He elbowed Kurt, causing him to laugh.

            "You’re right, like always. I do enjoy the space, it’s easier to build larger things.” Kurt continued to look up at the house. The small square cottage he had grown to know so well was now much larger, with extensions coming from the back and left side. The bedroom had remained almost the same, as had the entrance and bathroom, but the back, where Kurt used to have his small workshop, now extended much further to accommodate his growing works. The left side was their living room, which had been completely added because Blaine had insisted on having a place that was neither work nor sleep nor eat nor brush teeth. He needed his own little haven to be with Kurt. Kurt wasn’t complaining. He loved spending some time on their little blue couch. He had picked it out himself, to match his blue work chair. Their lazy afternoons spent on there, thinking only of the other, were some of Kurt’s fondest memories.

            “And you don’t have to keep your books on the floor anymore.” Blaine said, pulling Kurt out of his mind. He ducked just in time to avoid Kurt swatting him. “Now come on, we’re gonna be late.” Blaine pulled Kurt by the hand up to the convazence and hit the Observatory rune on the floor. The two of them stepped on, never once letting go of the other, and in a matter of seconds they found themselves outside the large doors of the Observatory.

            As they walked towards them, people on the street waved. Kurt waved back, feeling awkward and out of place in the public eye. He pulled Blaine in front of him, doing his best to hide from wandering eyes. Blaine laughed and walked ahead, stopping in front of the doors. They still looked as beautiful as Kurt remembered. The two large lumlow around each handle brought back memories Kurt hoped he never forgot. He set his hand on the handle and closed his eyes, smiling fondly as he squeezed the handle and opened the door.  He walked through this gateway in his mind and entered what he had always considered to be his second home. He stepped into the entrance hall, eyes still closed, and took a deep breath. His heart felt light as he sighed happily, opening his eyes. He was surprised to see so many people gathered here 

            The whole room burst into applause as they caught a glimpse of Kurt. Kurt blushed, not sure why he was suddenly the center of attention. It was just another day at work after all. Maximarix burst through the crowd and embraced Kurt tightly, lifting him off the ground for a few short seconds. He then dropped him and turned to Blaine, doing the same.

            “Boys! I haven’t seen you two in so long! I’m always stuck in my office now, I never have time to visit you two on the field.” Maximarix said, voice carrying in the now silent room.

            “Well, you’ll be seeing a lot more of Kurt now, won’t you?” Blaine winked, getting a few laughs from around the room.

            “I don’t know what you are talking about, Blaine," Maximarix replied, voice sounding overly dramatic as he pushed Kurt and Blaine into the lecture hall. Kurt shot Blaine a confused look, asking him to clarify what he had meant, but Blaine just pretended to not see him. When they finally made it to the lecture hall Kurt was surprised to see the head of department panel was assembled. They were all sitting along the stage in a row. The people who had followed them all took seats opposite the stage as if they were getting ready to watch a performance.

            “Did I forget we had a meeting today? I didn’t prepare anything,” Kurt began, looking around nervously.

            “Kurt, sweetheart, just sit down and shut your mouth,” Blaine said, motioning a chair and smiling charmingly towards him. “I have three very important things to share with you, or at least these gentlemen do.” The man siting at the far left, Dr. Robic, stood.

            “Kurt, as you know, you recently asked my department, the DNA Research Lab, to determine whether or not your antidote had worked on Blaine, as well as answering the question of whether or not you had Elyme blood. Well, the results are finally in.” Kurt held his breath and stuck his hand out. Blaine understood and walked over to him, gripping his hand tightly. “Blaine, I am happy to declare you disease free. And Kurt, next time I need a gear, I’ll come to you because your DNA shows traces of metal-born genes.” The crowd that had gathered in the room erupted into cheers as Blaine leaned down to kiss Kurt swiftly. Next, Amanda Smody stood up.

            “Kurt, as leader of Political Sciences and Minister of Sciences to our president, I am happy to announce that a law on the equality of Hybrid races is going to be debated soon. You have a real chance to change the world, good job!” She cheered along with the rest of the room. The thunderous applause rose up again before slowly dying down.

            Finally, professor Maximarix stood up, walking over to Kurt.

            “Kurt, you have been nothing less than a son to me. Your talent and curiosity continues to blow me away, as does your passion for your work. You have been with me for a long time, and have seen me go from professor to head of department to Director of the Observatory. I like to think I was a good influence, because you seem to be following that trail as you are already the head of your own department. So, I thought I’d help you along with that last step.” Maximarix paused, walking closer to Kurt and taking his free hand. “It is with great pleasure that I appoint you the new director of the Observatry of Orman. Today, I step down from this position and return to my place as head of the astrological department. I miss my old telescope. Congratulations Kurt!”

            The room burst into deafening applause, shouting out Kurt’s name. Blaine bent down to where Kurt was seated and wiped the tears from his eyes as Kurt simply smiled and cried. Blaine took Kurt and helped him stand before Maximarix took Kurt in his arms again. As soon as he stepped back, Blaine came in and pulled Kurt up against his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around him. Kurt buried his face in Blaine’s neck, crying and smiling and feeling electricity coursing through his veins.

            “Oops, sorry. Static electricity.” Blaine began, pulling back.

            “The downside to metallic skin.” Kurt finished, looking back up and surging forward and capturing Blaine’s lips in a smiling kiss.


End file.
